


Haunted

by justanoutlaw



Series: Scrabble [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort, F/M, Future Fic, Paranoia, Troubled Past, Tumblr Prompt, Young Emma, Young Emma Swan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 02:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13731081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: When David runs into someone from his past, he goes into panic mode.





	Haunted

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by loboselinaistrash: Please can I have “If you even THINK about touching him/her/them, I’ll kill you.” With daddy charming and ‘grandpa’ George
> 
> Takes place a few years in the future of this verse. I hope to get back to writing the main one soon, I promise. Hopefully this'll tide you over in the meantime.

Emma was constantly fast on her feet, running around like crazy. She had taken her time to walk, but once she did, David and Mary Margaret had to baby proof the house. The toddler got into things they never expected and it was clear, she was a lot like her father: destined to be a little trouble maker.

 

Which is why normally they were careful when they took her out, she stayed in the stroller or in one of their arms. One particular day, however, she was being extra fussy and David knew he had to pick his battles. They had a lot of errands to run that day and if he was going to get back by her naptime, he needed to hurry up. So, when she didn’t want to sit in the front of the cart in the grocery store, he allowed her to walk beside him. She was pushing her own tiny cart down the aisles, grabbing things when David told her to.

 

When they got to the cereal aisle, he got distracted as he tried to figure out what kind that Mary Margaret liked. Her tastes had changed since she got pregnant again. When he finally remembered and tossed the Cornflakes in the cart, he went to talk to his daughter.

 

“Okay Miss Emma, we just need to get some cookies and then we can…” He trailed off when he found her tiny cart abandoned, Emma nowhere in sight. “Emma?” He dashed to the end of the aisle. “Emma!”

 

His heart pounded in his chest. As a former cop, his mind went to the worst case scenario. She had been kidnapped, she had wandered out into the street. Either way, there was a chance that he wasn’t going to see his baby girl again.

 

“Daddy!”

 

David felt his heart still, he had never been more happy to hear that word ever in his life. Turning around, he saw his little girl in someone’s arms and a smile went across his face.

 

“There you are, you knuckled head.” He walked closer to her. “You can’t run off like that, Daddy was so scared.” He took her from the person and went to look at them. “Thank you for finding her…” He trailed off and his blood ran ice cold.

 

George stood in front of him, a smirk across his face. David tightened his grip on Emma, kissing the top of her head. He had worked his ass off to make sure that George would have nothing to do with his family. They avoided the spots that he went to, which was easy considering he mostly mixed with Leopold’s crowd.  He wasn’t stupid, he knew that George knew about Emma and his marriage to Mary Margaret. Even so, they had managed to stay a good amount of distance from one another.

 

“Can’t keep track of your flock, can you, Davey?”

 

David was speechless, for the first time in a while. Before he could do anything more, Ruby appeared by his side. Where had she come from?

 

“David, I can take Emma if you want? Get her a cookie?”

He didn’t want to let go of her, but also didn’t want her around George longer than she had to be. “Okay.” He gave Emma a final kiss. “Be good for Auntie Ruby, okay?”

“Kay, kay.” Emma held her arms out to her godmother, who took her. “Cookie time, Auntie Wooby.”

“One big chocolate chip one coming right up,” she agreed, walking off, but not before glaring at George.

“Why did you have my daughter?” David asked, his voice low and it even scared himself a bit.

“I found her standing by herself.” George shrugged. “You were too busy, almost as if you didn’t care.”

“Do not touch my child,” David growled, stepping closer. “You know what? If you even think about touching her, I’ll kill you.”

“Testy, testy.”

“You tried to kidnap my child!”

“I was simply getting to know my granddaughter. Did my invitation to her christening just get lost in the mail? Perhaps to her last two birthday parties?”

“You are not her grandfather. Her grandfather died long before you were in the picture.”

“I clothed you, David. I gave you a roof over your head, made sure that you would have the best that life had to offer.”

“And you made sure I paid the price for it, James to.”

“James screwed over his own life.”

“Mother never would’ve let him go down the path you did. You didn’t care about either of us, you just wanted control.”

“How long do you think you can keep up this happy little marriage?” George asked condescendingly. “You couldn’t make the first work out, what makes you think you will this time?”

“I don’t need to defend my marriage to you. Stay away from my daughter or you will regret it.”

 

David grabbed his cart and pushed it to the bakery, where Emma was sitting on her godmother’s lap, enjoying a cookie. He picked her up and cuddled her close, cradling the back of her head as he typically did. It started when she was a baby and even though she was 2, he still didn’t see it stopping. Ruby stood up, rubbing his upper arm.

 

“Are you okay?”

“I didn’t think he could ever get to her. I was so stupid to look away…”

“Hey, we all do that. This isn’t your fault, it’s his.”

David sighed, looking down at his daughter. She was so innocent, oblivious to everything that was going on as she nibbled on her cookie. She held up a piece to him and he allowed her to feed it to him. “Thanks, Princess,” he whispered.

“Welcome,” Emma said with a yawn.

“I should get her home, it’s almost naptime. Thanks for all your help, Rubes.”

“No problem.” She saw the panic still on his face. “She’s okay.”

 

He nodded and gave her a quick one-armed hug before heading to the checkout line. The rest of the day was spent with David trying to keep a brave face for Emma, who had no clue about what had just happened. Finally, around 3:30, the door opened and Mary Margaret walked inside.

 

“Mommy!” Emma squealed, running towards her.

Mary Margaret grinned and swept her up into her arms. “There’s my sweet girl,” she planted a kiss to her cheek. “How was your day?”

“Good.”

She saw David lingering in the doorway, a pained look on his face. “Hey, Em, I got some new stickers.” She reached into her bag and pulled them out. “Remember, only on paper. Not on the walls or Wilby.”

 

Emma giggled, but nodded in agreement and let Mary Margaret put her down. David lead his wife into the kitchen and explained what happened at the store. She rubbed his back and assured him it wasn’t his fault, but she could tell something was still bothering him.

  
“George lives in Storybrooke, so does your dad.”

“Yeah.”

“I just…I don’t know if we should stay here.”

Mary Margaret tilted her head. “We have a whole life here. I have a job, you’ve been working on the farm.”

“There are teaching jobs everywhere, we could sell the house and get a farm somewhere else. Maybe in Connecticut.”

“You want to run?”

“I just don’t want to keep looking over my shoulders, scared that George will hurt my kids the way he did me.”

“Oh David.” She put her hand on top of his. “My dad can’t hurt them, neither can George.”

“He almost took Emma today.”

“But he didn’t. If we run, he wins. We have our lives here, we’re happy. This is the first we’ve heard from George in two years. This is what he wanted, babe, to get in your head and to scare you. Don’t let him.”

 

David sighed, knowing that she was right. He had just never been so terrified. Mary Margaret wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead against his.

 

“Our babies are safe. Don’t let him get in your head. He can’t hurt this family, he can’t hurt you.”

 

He looked deep into her eyes, slowly calming down. His plan to leave town was crazy and over the top, he knew that now. He was grateful to have her in his life, she was the light in all of the craziness.

 

“Daddy! Mommy! Need help with ‘tickers!” Emma yelled from the living room.

David chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “Looks like our baby girl needs our help.”

“Let’s go.’

He caressed her swollen bump. “How’s our little guy doing, by the way?”

“Not so little. I had my appointment this morning, he’s weighing in at 5 pounds already. Emma was only 3 by this stage.”

“I guess I should start calling him our big guy.”

Mary Margaret grinned. “I’d think so.”


End file.
